Roland DISCOVER 5M Service Manual

Owner’s Manual

Thank you for choosing a Roland DisCover 5M Realtime Orchestrator module, the perfect Standard MIDI File player for performing musicians with a professional Vocal Harmonist function. The DisCover 5M allows you to play back Standard MIDI Files on SmartMedia™ card or floppy disk, and to change their orchestration in realtime, while you also have the flexibility to jump to four locations within every song, which allows you, for instance, to repeat any part of a song time and again. The DisCover 5M’s Vocal Harmonist is equally flexible: it can add harmonies to your singing based on the chords used by the songs you are playing back. You can also use it for gender transformations of your voice, for correcting not-so-perfect singing, and for a number of professional effects.

To get the most out of the DisCover 5M and to ensure many years of trouble-free service, we urge you to read through this Owner’s Manual thoroughly. To avoid confusion, let’s agree to use the word “button” for all keys on the front panel. To save space (and time), let us agree to use the word “song” when referring to Standard MIDI Files.

Before using this module, carefully read the sections entitled “Important safety instructions” and “Important notes”. They provide important information concerning the proper operation of the DisCover 5M. Be sure to keep this manual in a safe place for future reference.

Features

The ease of Standard MIDI Files

The DisCover 5M is not just another Standard MIDI File player: it’s a MIDI File wizard that allows you to do all kinds of things to song material you purchase or download from the Internet.

The DisCover 5M accepts 8MB, 16MB, 32MB, 64MB, and 128MB SmartMedia™ cards. You should therefore be able to build yourself a vast repertoire in no time.

Flexible song playback

Simply by selecting another “Cover” preset (of which there are 72), you can change the orchestration of the songs you are playing back, so as to transform, say, the original country version into a Viennese ballroom rendition.

It is also possible to just change the character of the drum or bass parts, if you think your songs will sound better that way.

Of course, you can also program everything yourself so as to add your hallmark to pre-recorded material. The good news is that all changes can be carried out on the DisCover 5M itself. You do not need to resort to an external sequencer or software program.

Song Chain function and quick location of the songs you need

Thanks to the DisCover 5M’s Chain function, you can program play lists for your performances. The advantage of such song chains is that you won’t have to look for the desired songs on stage.

But make no mistake: in the DisCover 5M’s case, not having to look for the next song to be played back is only designed to help you avoid choosing the wrong song, which can happen quite easily, as you may know. Realtime selection of Standard MIDI Files is indeed lightning-fast (courtesy of the Song Finder) and convenient (Play & Search function).

Furthermore, you can already prepare the next song while the current one is still running (NEXT SONG function).

And finally, you can also link one song to each User Program, so that the desired song will be loaded simply by recalling that User Program.

Professional Vocal Harmonist

Another highlight of the DisCover 5M is its Vocal Harmonist that adds automatic harmonies to your singing, while there are also several modes for transforming your (or someone else’s) voice.

This implies, of course, that you can connect an optional (Roland DR-10 or DR-20) microphone to the DisCover 5M. Other signal sources (synthesizers, etc.) can also be connected.

The signals generated by your singing and/or the Vocal Harmonist can either be added to the signals of the OUTPUT sockets, or transmitted directly to one or two mixer channels (or additional amplifiers) via the dedicated VOCAL HARMONIST OUTPUT sockets.

Dedicated effects sections

The DisCover 5M has dedicated (and completely separate) effects processors for the song and Realtime parts, on the one hand, and the microphone and Vocal Harmonist signals on the other.

These include: Reverb, Chorus, Delay, Compressor, Gate, and 2-band parametric equalizer.

Three Realtime parts

You can control the DisCover 5M from an external keyboard, MIDI accordion, sequencer, etc. To this end, your Realtime Orchestrator contains an Upper, Lower, and M.Drums part. They can be controlled via separate (or the same) MIDI channel(s).

Intuitive user interface

The large touch screen keeps you posted about the DisCover 5M’s status and allows you to set almost all functions by touching the on-screen fields.

The DisCover 5M’s panel layout is just as intuitive and very cooperative indeed: it works hand-in-hand with the touch screen.

D-Beam controller

The DisCover 5M has the acclaimed D-Beam Controller* for intuitive song playback control and additional DJ-like effects via movements over an invisible beam of infrared light. And, of course, there are sockets for an optional footswitch and expression pedal.

(* D Beam technology licensed from Interactive Light, Inc.)

Excellent sound source

The DisCover 5M comes with a 64-voice polyphonic sound source with 1,422 instrument sounds and 44 Drum Sets that cover everything from incredibly realistic acoustic instruments to cooking Techno sounds. Never before has an electronic instrument produced such true-to-life instrument and drum sounds that include subtle tonal changes and all the “noises” associated with acoustic instruments (scraping for guitar sounds, resonance for drum sounds, etc.).

The DisCover 5M supports GS-, General MIDI2-, and XG-format MIDI files.

128 User Programs

User Programs are memories where you can save your own panel settings. These include the currently selected song, Tones (sounds), tempo, as well as a lot of other parameters. At the press of a maximum of three buttons, you can thus completely reconfigure your instrument.

Owner’s Manual

For even more flexibility, User Program settings stored on SmartMedia™ card can be loaded directly, so that the number of “pre-sets” available on stage is almost unlimited.

…and so much more

Listing all of the DisCover 5M’s advantages and functions would take another ten pages, while you must be dying to put it through its paces. That is why we would like to ask you to read this manual from cover to cover. You’ll find that the DisCover 5M is quite unlike any other instrument you know.

Have fun!

Using the unit safely

Used for instructions intended to alert the user to the risk of death or severe injury should the unit be used improperly.

Used for instructions intended to alert the user to the risk of injury or material damage should the unit be used improperly.

* Material damage refers to damage or

other adverse effects caused with respect to the home and all its furnishings, as well to domestic animals or pets.

• Before using this instrument, make sure to read the instructions below, and the Owner’s Manual.

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• Do not open or perform any internal modifications on the unit.

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• Do not attempt to repair the DisCover 5M, or replace parts within it (except when this manual provides specific instructions directing you to do so). Refer all servicing to your retailer, the nearest Roland Service Center, or an authorized Roland distributor, as listed on the “Information” page.

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• Never use or store the DisCover 5M in places that are:

• Subject to temperature extremes (e.g., direct sunlight

in an enclosed vehicle, near a heating duct, on top of heat-generating equipment); or are

• Damp (e.g., baths, washrooms, on wet floors); or are

• Humid; or are

• Exposed to rain; or are

• Dusty; or are

• Subject to high levels of vibration.

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• This unit should be used only with a rack or stand that

is recommended by Roland.

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• Make sure you always have the unit placed in such a way that it is level and sure to remain stable. Never place it on stands that could wobble, or on inclined surfaces.

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• The instrument should only be connected to a power supply of the type described in the operating instructions, or as marked on the DisCover 5M.

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The symbol alerts the user to important instructions or warnings.The specific meaning of the symbol is determined by the design contained within the triangle. In the case of the symbol at left, it is used for general cautions, warnings, or alerts to danger.

The symbol alerts the user to items that must never be carried out (are forbidden). The specific thing that must not be done is indicated by the design contained within the circle. In the case of the symbol at left, it means that the unit must never be disassembled.

The ● symbol alerts the user to things that must be carried out. The specific thing that must be done is indicated by the design contained within the circle. In the case of the symbol at left, it means that the powercord plug must be unplugged from the outlet.

• Do not excessively twist or bend the power cord, nor place heavy objects on it. Doing so can damage the cord, producing severed elements and short circuits. Damaged cords are fire and shock hazards!

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• This instrument, either alone or in combination with an amplifier and headphones or speakers, may be capable of producing sound levels that could cause permanent hearing loss. Do not operate for a long period of time at a high volume level, or at a level that is uncomfortable. If you experience any hearing loss or ringing in the ears, you should immediately stop using the unit, and consult an audiologist.

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• Do not allow any objects (e.g., flammable material, coins, pins); or liquids of any kind (water, soft drinks, etc.) to penetrate the unit.

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• In households with small children, an adult should provide supervision until the child is capable of following all rules essential for the safe operation of the DisCover 5M.

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• Protect the unit from strong impact. (Do not drop it!)

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• Do not force the DisCover 5M’s power cord to share an outlet with an unreasonable number of other devices. Be especially careful when using extension cords—the total power used by all devices you have connected to the extension cord’s outlet must never exceed the power rating (watts/amperes) for the extension cord. Excessive loads can cause the insulation on the cord to heat up and eventually melt through.

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• Before using the DisCover 5M in a foreign country, consult with your retailer, the nearest Roland Service Center, or an authorized Roland distributor, as listed on the “Information” page.

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• The DisCover 5M should be located so that its location or position does not interfere with its proper ventilation.

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• Always grasp only the plug on the power-supply cord when plugging into, or unplugging from, an outlet or this unit.

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• Try to prevent cords and cables from becoming entangled. Also, all cords and cables should be placed out of the reach of children.

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• Never climb on top of, nor place heavy objects on the unit.

Owner’s Manual

• Never handle the power cord or its plugs with wet hands when plugging into, or unplugging from, an outlet or this unit.

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• If you need to move the instrument, take note of the precautions listed below. Make sure to have a firm grip, to protect yourself from injury and the instrument from damage.

• Disconnect the power cord.

• Disconnect all cords coming from external devices.

• Before cleaning the unit, turn off the power and unplug the power cord from the outlet.

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• Whenever you suspect the possibility of lightning in your area, disconnect the power cord from the outlet.

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• Should you remove screws, make sure to put them in a safe place out of children’s reach, so there is no chance of them being swallowed accidentally.

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Important notes

1. Important notes

In addition to the items listed under “Using the unit safely” (p. 4), please read and observe the following:

Power supply

• Do not use this instrument on the same power circuit with any device that will generate line noise (such as an electric motor or variable lighting system).

• Before connecting the DisCover 5M to other devices, turn off the power to all units. This will help prevent malfunctions and/or damage to speakers or other devices.

Placement

• Using the DisCover 5M near power amplifiers (or other equipment containing large power transformers) may induce hum. To alleviate the problem, change the orientation of this instrument or move it further away from the source of interference.

• This instrument may interfere with radio and television reception. Do not use it in the vicinity of such receivers.

• Observe the following when using the unit’s floppy disk drive. For further details, refer to “Before using floppy disks (handling the floppy disk drive)”.

• Do not place the unit near devices that produce a strong mag-

netic field (e.g., loudspeakers).

• Install the DisCover 5M on a solid, level surface.

• Do not move the unit or subject it to vibration while the drive is

operating.

• Do not expose the DisCover 5M to direct sunlight, place it near devices that radiate heat, leave it inside an enclosed vehicle, or otherwise subject it to temperature extremes. Excessive heat can deform or discolor the instrument.

• To avoid possible breakdown, do not use the unit in a wet area, such as an area exposed to rain or other moisture.

• Do not allow objects to remain on top of the DisCover 5M. This can be the cause of malfunction.

Maintenance

• For everyday cleaning wipe the DisCover 5M with a soft, dry cloth or one that has been slightly dampened with water. To remove stubborn dirt, use a mild, non-abrasive detergent. Afterwards, be sure to wipe the instrument thoroughly with a soft, dry cloth.

• Never use benzene, thinner, alcohol or solvents of any kind, to avoid the possibility of discoloration and/or deformation.

Repairs and data

• Please be aware that all data contained in the instrument’s memory may be lost when it is sent for repairs. In certain cases (such as when circuitry related to memory itself is out of order), we regret that it may not be possible to restore the data. Roland assumes no liability concerning such loss of data.

Additional precautions

• Please be aware that the memory contents can be irretrievably lost as a result of a malfunction, or the improper operation of the instrument.

• Use a reasonable amount of care when using the instrument’s buttons, other controls, and jacks/connectors. Rough handling can lead to malfunctions.

• Never strike or apply strong pressure to the display.

• When connecting/disconnecting cables, grasp the connector itself—never pull on the cable. This way you will avoid causing shorts, or damage to the cable’s internal elements.

• A small amount of heat will radiate from the instrument during normal operation. This is perfectly normal.

• To avoid disturbing your neighbors, try to keep the instrument’s volume at reasonable levels. You may prefer to use headphones, so you do not need to be concerned about those around you (especially late at night).

• When you need to transport the instrument, package it in the box (including padding) that it came in. Otherwise, you will need to use equivalent packaging materials, or a flightcase.

• Use only the specified expression pedal (EV-5, EV-7; sold separately). By connecting any other expression pedals, you risk causing malfunction and/or damage to the DisCover 5M.

About the touch screen

• Wipe off stains on the touch screen using ethanol, but do not allow the ethanol to soak into the joint of the upper fume and the bottom glass, for it may otherwise cause peeling or malfunction. Do not use organic solvents or detergents other than ethyl alcohol (ethanol).

Before using floppy disks (handling the floppy disk drive)

• Install the unit on a solid, level surface in an area free from vibration. If the unit must be installed at an angle, be sure the installation does not exceed the permissible range: upward, 2°; downward, 18°.

• Avoid using the DisCover 5M immediately after it has been moved to a location with a level of humidity that is greatly different than its former location. Rapid changes in the environment can cause condensation to form inside the drive, which will adversely affect the operation of the drive and/or damage floppy disks. When the unit has been moved, allow it to become accustomed to the new environment (allow a few hours) before operating it.

• To insert a disk, push it gently but firmly into the drive—it will click into place. To remove a disk, press the EJECT button firmly. Do not use excessive force to remove a disk which is lodged in the drive.

• Never attempt to remove a floppy disk from the drive while the drive is operating (the indicator is lit); damage could result to both the disk and the drive.

• Remove any disk from the drive before powering up or down.

• To prevent damage to the disk drive’s heads, always try to hold the floppy disk in a level position (not tilted in any direction) while inserting it into the drive. Push it in firmly, but gently. Never use excessive force.

• To avoid the risk of malfunction and/or damage, insert only floppy disks into the disk drive. Never insert any other type of disk. Avoid getting paper clips, coins, or any other foreign objects inside the drive.

Handling floppy disks

• Floppy disks contain a plastic disk with a thin magnetic coating. Microscopic precision is required to enable storage of large amounts of data on such a small surface area. To preserve their integrity, please observe the following when handling floppy disks:

• Never touch the magnetic medium inside the disk.

• Do not use or store floppy disks in dirty or dusty areas.

• Do not subject floppy disks to temperature extremes (e.g., direct

sunlight in an enclosed vehicle). Recommended temperature range: 10°~50°C (50°~122°F).

• Do not expose floppy disks to strong magnetic fields, such as

those generated by loudspeakers.

Owner’s Manual

• Floppy disks have a “WRITE” tab which can protect the disk from accidental erasure. It is recommended that the tab be kept in the PROTECT position, and moved to the WRITE position only when you wish to write new data onto the disk.

Rear side of the disk

WRITE (you can save data to the disk)

Protect tab

• Disks containing important performance data for this instrument should always be locked (have their write protect tab slid to the PROTECT position) before you insert them into the drive of another instrument.

• The identification label should be firmly affixed to the disk. If the label comes loose while the disk is in the drive, it may be difficult to remove the disk.

• Put the disk back into its case for storage.

PROTECT (you cannot save data)

Before using a SmartMedia™ card

• Only SmartMedia cards formatted on the DisCover 5M can be used.

• Be sure to insert the memory card all the way into the slot.

• Do not touch the contacts of the memory card, or allow them to become soiled.

• Never remove the memory card or turn off the power while an operation –such as reading or writing data, or formatting– is being performed on the memory card. Never remove or connect the card while the DisCover 5M is on. Doing so can destroy the data on the memory card and/or render the memory card itself unusable.

• If you affix the write-protect label to the write-protect area of the memory card, you will not be able to format the card or write data to it. If you wish to format the card or write data to it, do so without the label affixed. For details on the write-protect sticker, refer to the owner’s manual for your memory card.

Liability and copyright

• Should data contained and stored on the SmartMedia card be lost, it is unfortunately impossible to restore them. Roland Europe S.p.A. assumes no liability concerning such loss of data.

• Unauthorized recording, distribution, sale, lending, public performance, broadcasting, or the like in whole or in part, of a work (musical composition, video, broadcast, public performance, or the like) whose copyright is held by a third party is prohibited by law.

• Do not use this unit for purposes that could infringe on a copyright held by a third party. Roland assumes no responsibility whatsoever with regard to any infringements of third-party copyrights arising through your use of this unit.

• If you attempt to format a card or write data to it when the writeprotect label is affixed, an error message will appear. In that case, either insert another card or remove the write-protect label.

• At power-on, do not remove/insert a SmartMedia card while the DisCover 5M is updating its internal data (wait until the messages “Song database checking…” and “User Program database checking…” have disappeared).

• Make sure that the memory card is oriented correctly, and push it all the way into the slot. The gold contacts must face downward.

• Never turn on the power when a memory card is inserted partway into the slot. Doing so will damage the data in internal memory.

Memory cards usable with the DisCover 5M

• The DisCover 5M can use commercially available Smart Media memory cards. You can purchase such cards at a computer shop or digital camera dealer.

• Memory cards you purchase must meet the following conditions.

• Power supply voltage: 3.3 V

• Capacity: 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128MB

• The DisCover 5M cannot use SmartMedia of types other than the above.

• SmartMedia is a trademark of Toshiba Corp.

• All product names mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

• DisCover 5M IT. PAT. PEND.

Contents

Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1. Important notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2. Panel descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

3. Touring your DisCover 5M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Switching the DisCover 5M on/off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Interactive demo of the DisCover 5M. . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Playing back songs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Quick location of the song you need. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Starting playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Other practical playback functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Modifying songs in realtime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Using the Cover function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Minus One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Vocal Harmonist function. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Adding harmonies to your singing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Who specifies the harmonies? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Not convinced so far? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Voice-FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Auto Pitch Correct function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Vocoder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Automatic transposition (Singer Key) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Displaying Lyrics and chord information . . . . . . . . . . 29

Using the Realtime parts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Choosing other Tones (or Drum Sets) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Using the D Beam Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

4. Using the performance functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Transposition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Setting the transposition interval via the display . . . . . .36

Master Tune. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

D Beam functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Using optional footswitches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Expression (Foot Pedal) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Scale Tune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

5. Before you start editing (Menu). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

6. Working with the Mixer & using effects . . . . . . . . 44

Mixing Realtime parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

More refined Mixer settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Editing the Realtime (and song) effects processors . . . . 45

Using the multi-effects processor (Multi-FX) . . . . . . 47

Selecting another Multi-FX type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Linking Multi-FX type selection to the Upper part

(Upper M-FX) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Voice and Vocal Harmonist part mixing . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Reverb, Delay, and Chorus effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

7. Editing the Realtime & Vocal Harmonist parts . . . 54

Editing the Realtime parts (Sound Edit) . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Editing the Vocal Harmonist parts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Procedure for selecting these pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Singer settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Voice-FX settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Auto Pitch Correct function settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Vocoder settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Small settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Ensemble settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

8. More refined song functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Using the Fade-In/Out function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Programming MARK JUMP locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Working with the Song Finder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Locating files with the Song Finder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

Editing the Song Finder information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Song Chain function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Programming Song Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Editing Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Using Song Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Managing Song Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

9. Working with User Programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Writing your settings to a User Program. . . . . . . . . . 75

Selecting User Programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

User Program selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Selecting User Programs with Finder: selecting User Programs on SmartMedia card . . 77 Selectively loading User Program settings

(User Program Hold) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Automatic functions for User Programs . . . . . . . . . . 79

Linking a MIDI Set to a User Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

Startup User Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

10. Song Makeup Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Instrument: selecting different sounds . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Volume: part balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Reverb and Chorus: effect balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Palette: in-depth song editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

11. Editing Lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Adding Lyrics to a song. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

‘Utility’ functions for Edit Lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

12. MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

The how-to’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Editing MIDI parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Editing the System parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

MIDI Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

13. Disk/Media functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

The how-to’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Load (from disk or SmartMedia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Save (to disk or SmartMedia). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Delete. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Disk/Media Utility functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104

Copy functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

14. Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

MIDI Implementation Chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

[DOWN] [UP]

. . . . . . . . . . .77

2. Panel descriptions

Owner’s Manual

D J

D Beam controller

This controller allows you to influence the timbre of the notes you play, to control song playback, and to create some unique effects. All you need to do is move your hand up/down or left/right above the two “eyes”.

The D BEAM CONTROLLER buttons allow you to assign the desired function to the D Beam Controller. See p. 34.

LCD CONTRAST knob

Use this knob to set the contrast when you are having problems reading what is written on the display. The LCD may take some time to warm up. That is why you may have to change the contrast several times after powering on.

VOLUME section

[MASTER]

ume of your DisCover 5M.

[SONG]

of the song parts. Turn it towards the left (towards “MIN”) if you think your solo is too soft.

[FADE¥OUT/IN]

playback with an automatic fade-in of the music. If you press it during playback, the volume will gradually decrease (fade-out).

knob: Use this knob to set the global vol-

knob: This knob allows you to set the volume

ML N O

V W X

button: This button allows you to start

S U

TRANSPOSE section

These buttons allow you to transpose the DisCover 5M up ([¥®]) or down ([√¥ƒ]) in semitone steps. You can also specify which parts are to be transposed (page 35). If neither button lights, no manual transposition is used.

[SONG/RHYTHM FINDER] button

Press this button to quickly locate the desired Standard MIDI File on the inserted SmartMedia™ card or floppy disk. See page 65.

[LYRICS & CHORD] button

Press this button if you want the lyrics contained in the songs to appear in the display. At the same time, the chords of the notes played by the song parts will also be displayed. This, however, is information that is “extracted” (derived) in realtime by the DisCover 5M.

[SINGER KEY] button

This button provides access to a page where you can set and/or select the range to which the tonality of the songs should be adapted (page 27).

[DISK/MEDIA] button

Press this button if you wish to save/load data from a floppy disk or SmartMedia™ card. You will also find data management functions here, like deleting files, formatting floppies or cards, etc. (page 101).

Panel descriptions

SONG MAKEUP TOOLS buttons

These buttons allow you to modify the settings of the current song. See page 81.

The [COVER] button is especially interesting, because it provides access to pre-programmed templates that allow you to quickly modify a song’s character. See page 19.

PLAYER section

[CHAIN] button: Press this button to access the Chain display where you can select a song chain to be played back, edit existing chains, program new ones, etc. When this button lights, [|√], [º], [‰], [®/ª] are used to control playback of the current song. Press it together with [NEXT¥SONG] to select the DisCover 5M’s demo function (see p. 14).

[NEXT¥SONG] button: Press this button to select the next song you want to use, while the current one is still running. If the [CHAIN] button lights, this button allows you to select the next song of the selected chain.

[MINUS¥ONE] button: Press this button to switch off the part you want to play (or sing) yourself. The part to be muted is selectable (page 19).

[|√], [º], [‰], [®/ª]: These buttons allow you to return to the beginning of the current song, “rewind” or fast-foward in one-measure steps, and to start and stop playback of the selected song.

BEAT indicator: this indicator flashes at the speed of the currently-set tempo (the tempo value also appears in the display).

[MULTI-FX] button

This button allows you to quickly switch the DisCover 5M’s multi-effects processor on (button lights) and off (button dark). By holding it slightly longer, you jump to a display page where you can change the multi-effects settings (see p. 47).

USER PROGRAM buttons

These buttons allow you to select the previous ([DOWN]) or next ([UP]) User Program. User Programs are registration memories. By pressing these buttons simultaneously, you revert to the settings that were in effect before recalling the current User Program (“Cancel”).

USER PROGRAM HOLD buttons

These buttons are used for ignoring the TONE and/or VOCAL HARMONIST settings of subsequently loaded User Programs. If a button lights, the DisCover 5M will recall all User Program settings except the ones filtered by the active button.

MARK JUMP buttons [1], [2], [3], [4]

These buttons allow you to jump to one of four stored locations inside the currently selected song. The 132 songs on the supplied SmartMedia™ card already contain such locations for the verse ([1]), chorus ([2]), bridge ([3]) and ending ([4]). You can edit these, and also program the desired locations for songs that do not yet contain them.

DATA ENTRY section

[VALUE] dial: This dial can be used to set the tempo or the value in the parameter field that is currently highlighted.

The [PREV] and [NEXT] buttons are used to select the previous or next value field on the current display page (if available).

Display

This touch sensitive display not only keeps you posted about the DisCover 5M’s current status, it also allows you to select the parameters and settings you see by pressing the corresponding fields.

[TONE FINDER] button

Press this button to search for a suitable sound (“Tone”) for your live playing using the Upper and/or Lower Realtime parts.

[MIXER/EFFECT] button

This button provides access to the display pages where you can set the volume balance and effects of the DisCover 5M’s parts.

[MENU] button

Press this button to call up a menu that provides access to more refined DisCover 5M functions you may wish to set from time to time.

[EXIT] button

Press this button to return to the previously selected display page, or the DisCover 5M’s main page.

VOCAL HARMONIST section

The buttons and knobs in this section are used to set the Vocal Harmonist function, the microphone level and the effects applied to the signals received via the Vocal Harmonist MIC INPUT socket.

PHONES 1 & 2 sockets

This is where you can connect optional stereo headphones (e.g. of Roland’s RH series). Feel free to use either or both jacks simultaneously.

SmartMedia™ slot

This is where you need to insert the supplied or other SmartMedia cards. The DisCover 5M comes with a 64MB card packed with Standard MIDI Files and other useful settings. You can, however, also use 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 and 128MB cards.

Disk drive

This is where you insert floppy disks with Standard MIDI Files you may already own. The drive accepts 2DD (720k) and 2HD (1.44MB) floppy disks.

For your convenience, and to take advantage of the DisCover 5M’s powerful FINDER functions, we recommend copying all Standard MIDI Files to SmartMedia card.

A B C D E F G

OUTPUT R & L/MONO sockets

These sockets need to be connected to an external amplifier, mixing consoles, etc. Depending on whether you are also using the Vocal Harmonist OUTPUT sockets (see below), the present sockets either transmit only the music generated by Song and Realtime parts, or both the tone generator’s and Vocal Harmonist’s signals.

Note: If you can/want to use only one channel on your external amplifier, connect the L/MONO socket to its input. For optimum sound quality, we recommend working in stereo, though.

VIDEO OUTPUT socket

Connect this socket to the appropriate socket of your TV or monitor. In that case, the lyrics of songs that contain such information, and the note information extracted in realtime (page 29) will be displayed on screen even if the [LYRICS&CHORD] button does not light (in which case the lyrics and chords no longer appear in the DisCover 5M’s display).

Note: The signal format (PAL or NTSC) can be set via a MENU function.

Vocal Harmonist OUTPUT R & L sockets

If connected to a mixing console, amplifier, etc., these sockets transmit the signal received via the MIC INPUT socket and processed by the DisCover 5M’s Vocal Harmonist. If no jacks are connected here, the Vocal Harmonist signals will be transmitted via the OUTPUT sockets (see above).

MIC INPUT socket

This is where you need to connect an optional microphone (like a Roland DR-10 or DR-20) or other external signal source you wish to process using the DisCover 5M’s Vocal Harmonist facility. See also “GAIN switch” above for setting the input sensitivity.

Note: The MIC INPUT socket is mono.

Owner’s Manual

H I J

GAIN switch

If you connect a microphone to the MIC INPUT socket, set this switch to “MIC”. If you wish to try out the Vocal Harmonist function for other signals (guitar, external synthesizers & modules, CDs, MDs, etc.), set this switch to “LINE”.

Note: For the “LINE” setting to work with electric guitars or basses, you need to connect such instruments to an effects pedal or rack effect (in bypass mode), and connect the effect’s output to the MIC INPUT socket.

FOOT SWITCH socket

An optional DP-2, DP-6, or BOSS FS-5U footswitch connected to this socket can be used for various purposes: its function is programmable (page 39).

Note: The DisCover 5M has no Hold (or Damper) socket, because those messages are received via MIDI. If you need to sustain the notes you play, connect an appropriate pedal to your external MIDI keyboard (Roland A-37, PC-300, etc.).

FOOT PEDAL socket

An optional EV-5 or EV-7 expression pedal connected to this jack can be used for controlling the volume of the DisCover 5M’s Realtime parts.

MIDI THRU/OUT/IN sockets

These sockets allow you to connect the DisCover 5M to external MIDI devices for a variety of applications: receiving song data in realtime from an external sequencer, transmitting your playing (and the data of the song you are playing back) to an external sequencer.

Note: The MIDI functions can be accessed via the DisCover 5M’s Menu (page 94). Frequently used MIDI settings can be written and recalled as “MIDI Sets”.

[POWER ON] button

Press this button to switch the DisCover 5M on and off.

AC socket

This is where you need to connect the supplied power cord.

Touring your DisCover 5M

3. Touring your DisCover 5M

You must be dying to try out your new DisCover 5M to see what it is capable of. We’ll get to that in a minute. But first we need to connect it.

Connections

The DisCover 5M neither contains a keyboard, nor internal speakers. You therefore need to connect it to an external keyboard (MIDI accordion, sequencer) and amplifier (Roland’s KC series, for example), or use optional headphones (Roland RH-25 or RH-50, for example).

Be sure to switch off both the DisCover 5M and the external devices you want to connect before making or breaking audio and/or MIDI connections. If you do not have access to the sound system of the venue where you are performing, ask the local engineer to set the volume to the minimum level.

Note: Try to use dynamic microphones whenever possible. You can also connect a condenser microphone, however, provided you use a DI box (with power supply). Connect the microphone using an unbalanced mono 1/4” jack.

Note: Except for the power cable, all other items shown above are optional. See your Roland dealer for details.

Note: There is no absolute need to connect the Vocal Harmonist OUTPUT sockets. If you don’t, your singing and the Harmonist effects will be transmitted via the main OUTPUT sockets. (Only if you don’t connect anything to the Vocal Harmonist OUTPUT sockets.) If you use these connectors, the Vocal Harmonist signals are no longer transmitted to the headphones.

Dynamic microphone

(select “MIC”)

Other signal source

(select “LINE”)

Connect to wall outlet

[Microphone: DR-10 or DR-20] *Connect the microphone using an unbalanced mono 1/4” jack.

Keyboard ampliﬁer, active speakers

—OPTIONAL—

Vocal Harmonist

OUTPUT R, L

MIDI

FOOT

PEDAL

FOOT

SWITCH

Keyboard ampliﬁer, active speakers,

MIC

INPUT

etc.

OUTPUT R,

L/MONO

(DP-2, DP-6, or BOSS FS-5U)

Footswitch

MIDI OUT

Expression pedal

(EV-5, EV-7)

Roland

Stereo headphones

(RH-25 or RH-50)

MIDI controller (keyboard, accordion, sequencer, etc.)

Switching the DisCover 5M on/off

After connecting the DisCover 5M to the other devices, proceed as follows:

Switching on the DisCover 5M

(1) Insert the included power cable into the AC inlet

and then plug it into an electrical outlet.

(2) Press the DisCover 5M’s [POWER¥ON] button

located on the rear panel to switch it on.

Owner’s Manual

(3) If you connected the DisCover 5M to a mixing console, switch it on now.

(4) Switch on the amplifier, your active speakers, or the keyboard amplifier(s). (5) Switch on your MIDI controller connected to the DisCover 5M’s MIDI IN socket.

(6) Use the [MASTER] knob to set the DisCover 5M’s

output volume.

Setting the display contrast

The information in the LCD display may be difficult to view after turning on your DisCover 5M or after extended use. Your viewing angle or the current lighting conditions can also affect the appearance of the display.

In such cases, use the [LCD¥CONTRAST] knob located on the rear panel to adjust the contrast of the display.

Switching off the DisCover 5M

(7) Switch off all external devices. (8) Press the DisCover 5M’s [POWER¥ON] button to switch it off.

Touring your DisCover 5M

LCD Mode

You can decide to have the information displayed white-on-blue (Normal) or blue–on-white (Invert). Choose whichever is more convenient for you:

(1) Press the [MENU] button.

(2) On the display page that appears now, press the

[UTILITY] field. (3) Press the [Global] field in the left corner. (4) Press the [LCD¥Mode] field. (5) Use the [VALUE] dial to select “Invert” (blue-on-

white) or “Normal” (white-on-blue). (6) Press the [EXIT] button to return to the main page.

Interactive demo of the DisCover 5M

Your DisCover 5M contains an interactive demo that introduces all of its highlights. It might be a good idea to try it out now. The demo is self-explanatory, so we’ll just show you how to start and stop it.

(1) Simultaneously press the [CHAIN] and

[NEXT¥SONG] buttons.

The display now looks as follows:

(2) Press the field that provides access to the

desired demo function.

There are 5 demo songs that are played back in a loop. If necessary, you can jump to the preceding or following demo song by pressing the [PREV] or [NEXT] button.

(3) To stop the demo and leave the

DisCover 5M’s Demo function, press the [EXIT] button.

(4) If you can barely hear the music, set the

[MASTER] knob (far left, VOLUME section) to a higher level.

Overview

Your DisCover 5M is a very user-friendly instrument indeed, but it is also extremely powerful. As we have to start somewhere (which may not be what you want to do first), here’s an overview of where to find what for your first exploration of the DisCover 5M:

What do you want to do first?

• Playing back songs → p. 15

• Modifying songs in realtime → p. 19

• Vocal Harmonist function → p. 20

• Automatic transposition (Singer Key) → p. 27

• Displaying Lyrics and chord information → p. 29

• Using the Realtime parts → p. 30

• Using the D Beam Controller → p. 34

Other aspects will be covered elsewhere in this manual.

Playing back songs

Your DisCover 5M is a novel Standard MIDI File player with all kinds of functions for “customizing” the songs you play back via easy-to-use routines. Let us first look at the playback functions proper.

(1) Connect the DisCover 5M to your sound sys-

tem.

If you prefer to use headphones, connect them to the PHONES socket (left side).

(2) Insert the supplied SmartMedia™ card into

the card slot.

(3) Switch on the amp (if available) and the

DisCover 5M.

You can press [®÷ª] at this stage to start playback of the first song on the card. (If no card is inserted, while a floppy disk is in the drive, the DisCover 5M selects the first song on disk.) To select the song yourself, proceed as follows:

(4) Press the [SONG/RHYTHM¥FINDER] button.

You can also press the [SONG] field in the upper left corner of the display (if available) to select songs.

The display changes to:

(5) If it isn’t already highlighted, press the

[SMART¥MEDIA] field in the upper right corner.

The display shows a list of 6 songs (Standard MIDI Files) on the SmartMedia card.

If you prefer to listen to one of your own songs on floppy disk, insert it into the drive and press the [FLOPPY] field.

(6) If the name of the song you want to listen to

is already displayed, press its line.

In our example, “Birdland” has been selected.

(7) To display the next 6 songs, press the [˚] field

in the lower right corner.

You can press this field as many times as necessary (or until it is no longer displayed).

To return to a previous group of 6 songs, press [ø].

Owner’s Manual

Touring your DisCover 5M

Quick location of the song you need

There are several ways to quickly locate the song you are after:

• Press the [Author] or [Genre] field under step (4)

to sort the song files according to artist names (Author) or kind of music (Genre). Continue with step (5) to select the song you want to listen to.

• Press the [Index] field in the upper left corner.

• Connect an external MIDI controller to the DisCover 5M’s MIDI IN jack (the MIDI channel on which it transmits is of little importance here).

• Press the [Play&Search] field.

Press one of the displayed field names to narrow down your search to songs that belong to the selected category (“Index”).

Note: Press the [ALL] field to display all songs on the SmartMedia card.

The display now returns to the page shown under step (4) above. This time, however, only the songs belonging to the selected Index are displayed.

Continue with step (5) to select the song you want to listen to.

• If you only know the melody of the desired

song, press the [Finder] field under step (4).

• As indicated in the display, play the main theme on the external keyboard. You can play in any key, and the rhythm doesn’t have to be perfect either (this function just looks for intervals).

• If you played a wrong note, press [Delete¥LastNote].

• To enter the entire line again, press [∫¥Reset] to erase the previously entered notes, then play the phrase again.

• After entering the melody, press the [SEARCH] field. The display now returns to step (4) on page 15 and shows the names of the songs that contain the melody you played.

• Press the field of the song you want to play back.

Note: If no songs were found, the following message appears, and all songs are once again displayed:

Starting playback

(8) To return to the main page, press [EXIT]. The “main page” is the DisCover 5M’s display

page that provides a maximum of relevant information and allows you to select (and change) items you may need during normal operation.

It also displays the name of the selected song, the tempo, and the current measure.

Note: The player can muster up to 76,000 events. If the message “Too many events” is displayed, the selected song contains more than that number and cannot be played back.

Owner’s Manual

Note: When playing back large SMFs at a very high tempo, playback may suddenly stop and the message “Song Scanning” may appear. This can be solved by reducing the playback tempo so that the DisCover 5M has enough time to process all MIDI data contained in the song.

(9) Press the [®÷ª] button.

Playback of the selected song starts.

Other practical playback functions

●

MARK JUMP

Songs on the supplied SmartMedia card contain four locations (“markers”) you can jump to right away. For songs that do not yet contain them, you can program these markers yourself. You can also edit the locations of existing markers (page 64).

Use the MARK JUMP [1]~[4] buttons (below the [®÷ª] button) to select the position you want to jump to without stopping or delaying playback. Such changes occur at the end of the current measure, which makes more musical sense than jumping when you’re halfway into a measure.

The labels (VERSE, CHORUS, BRIDGE, ENDING) refer to the locations you jump to by pressing the corresponding button. Obviously, these labels may be meaningless for markers you programmed or edited yourself.

There are four such MARK memories. The advantage of these markers is that you can

return to the chorus, for example, if you notice that the audience wants the song to last a little longer than originally planned. Markers also allow you to change the song structure in realtime (by starting with the bridge, for example).

Note: These buttons may also come in handy for the songs of the [Rhythm] index. See page 65.

(10) If necessary, use the [VALUE] dial to change

the tempo.

To reset the song tempo, press the tempo field in the display.

(11) Use the [MASTER] knob to set the

DisCover 5M’s output volume.

You can also play to the music. If necessary, use the [SONG] knob to set the desired balance.

●

Reset, rewind, fast-forward

You can also use the following buttons to jump to different song locations.

[|√] TOP: Allows you to return to the beginning of the current song. [º] BWD: allows you to rewind one measure at a time. [‰] FWD: allows you to fast-forward one measure at a time.

These buttons are available both during playback and while playback is stopped.

●

Next Song

While the current song is still running, you can already select the next one to be played back:

• Press the [NEXT¥SONG] button.

• Select the desired song using the Song Finder (page 15).

• As soon as the current song finishes, the next one starts. You can now select another song.

• Press the [NEXT¥SONG] button again to switch off this function.

Note: Your DisCover 5M also provides a Chain function for programming play lists of several songs (page 71).

Touring your DisCover 5M

●

Player (GS Reset Send and Quick Start)

(1) Press the [MENU] button.

The display changes to:

(2) Press the [UTILITY] field. If the [Player] field in

the left corner is not displayed in white, press it.

(3) Switch the [GS¥RESET¥SEND] field to specify

whether (on) or not (off) SysEx messages contained in the song you play back are updated while you fast-forward/rewind or use the MARK JUMP buttons.

By switching this function on, you can rest assured that your songs always sound as expected.

(4) Use the [Quick¥Start] field to quickly jump to

the first note of the selected song.

This function temporarily sets the tempo to  = 250 – to race through empty measures at the beginning of the song file (which may contain important settings), thus avoiding that the newly selected song begins with two measures of “nothing” (which can be terribly long when you’re in front of an audience). As soon as the DisCover 5M reaches the first note, the tempo returns to the programmed value.

Modifying songs in realtime

Let us now look at some functions for customizing the songs you play back.

Using the Cover function

The COVER function provides “masks” that change the instrumentation of the selected song. Simply by selecting another preset, you can cause a Viennese waltz to be played back by a heavy metal band, etc. Even though the arrangement (rhythm, riffs) does not change, the songs’ character can be modified beyond recognition.

(1) Press the [COVER] button.

(3) Press one of the six fields in the lower half of

The display now looks more or less as follows:

(4) If none of the displayed presets appeal to

(5) Try out various presets to see how (fast) this

(6) If you like the new version better than the

(2) Select the parts whose instrumentation you

want to change:

Press the [ALL] field if all instruments should be replaced.

Owner’s Manual

Press the [DRUM] field if only the drum and percussion instruments should change.

Press the [BASS] field if you’re happy with everything but the bass line’s sound.

the display to select another preset.

After selecting a preset, you can press [Original¥Sounds] (page 1) to return to the original orchestration.

you, use the PAGE [1]~[5] fields at the right to jump to another page with more presets.

concept works.

original one, you can press the [SAVE] field to save the song to SmartMedia card or floppy with this information (page 103).

Note: The COVER information is part of the data only the DisCover 5M understands. You can still play back the newly saved version of this song on another sequencer or SMF player, but the COVER information will be ignored.

Minus One

“Minus One” means that (at least) one part of a song is not played back.

There are at least two applications for this function:

• it allows you to play the muted parts yourself, via the external keyboard;

• it allows you to sing without doubling by the song (which may sound odd).

(1) Press and hold the [MINUS¥ONE] button.

The display changes to:

(2) Press one of the three “preset” fields to mute

the corresponding song parts:

Press [MELODY] to mute the melody (you will notice that the [4] field also lights).

Press the [ACCOMP] field to mute everything but the melody, bass, and drums.

Press the [DRUM&BASS] field to mute the bass and drum parts.

Note: Even the “preset” fields can be used simultaneously. And the part fields [1]~[16] can be added, too.

(3) To mute other parts “ad lib” (i.e. without tak-

ing advantage of the presets):

• Press the [USER] field. This mutes all parts except [4] (the melody).

• Switch on all parts you want to hear by pressing the [1]~[3] and [5]~[16] fields. Indicator icons of parts you need must be white (the others blue).

Touring your DisCover 5M

• To save this customized “Minus” setting in the DisCover 5M’s internal memory, press [Customize]. The display now responds with:

(4) Press the [EXIT] button to return to the main

page.

Your last preset selection (MELODY~USER) will be used until you select another preset or until you switch off your DisCover 5M.

(5) Press [MINUS¥ONE] again to switch this func-

tion off.

Note: You can also switch the Minus One function on/ off using an optional footswitch (page 39).

Vocal Harmonist function

The Vocal Harmonist doesn’t just produce harmonies: it can also transform your voice in various ways. More importantly, its sound quality surpasses by far anything you may already have tried.

Setting up

Here’s what you need to do to take advantage of the Vocal Harmonist function:

(1) Switch off your amp and the DisCover 5M (in

that order).

(2) Connect a dynamic microphone to the MIC

INPUT jack on the DisCover 5M’s rear panel.

Note: If you like, you can connect the Vocal Harmonist OUTPUT sockets to another amp (or additional mixer channels).

(5) Switch on the DisCover 5M and your amp (in

that order).

(6) Press the [SINGER] button (it must light) and

switch off the [VOCODER], [SMALL] or [ENSEMBLE] button.

Set to “MIC”

Examples: Roland DR-10 or DR-20

(3) Set the [GAIN] switch to “MIC”.

You can also connect the (mono) output of other instruments, a CD player, etc.

In that case, you need to set [GAIN] to “LINE”.

Set to “LINE”

KEYBOARD MODE ARPEGGIO

PART

UPPERLOWER

VALUE

CANCELEXIT

TONE

PERFORM

271

38495

VARIATION

/TONE

DRUMENVELOPEFILTERVIBRATO TONE

USER

EDIT

ENTER

/PRESET

PERFORM

ROM PLAY

CONTROLKEYBOARDMIDI/TUNELEVEL/PAN

ARPEGGIO

/SYSTEM

/EFFECT

COMBINATION

VOLUME

PALETTE

1>Piano 1

Preset:001

L/MONO

EDIT UTILITY

SEQ CTRL

TRANSPOSEX-DUALDUALSPLIT

PALETTE

ON/OFF

SELECT

Synthesizer, CD/MD player, etc.

(4) Set the [MIC¥GAIN] knob on the front panel to

“MIN”.

(7) Sing into the microphone and gradually

increase the [MIC¥GAIN] setting.

Set it to the highest possible value, taking care to avoid that the OVER indicator lights. It would be best to sing at the level you will be using during your performances.

(8) If your singing is inaudible in the speakers

connected to the amp (or the headphones), turn the [VOICE] knob towards the right (towards “MAX”).

Note: If a howling sound (a.k.a. “feedback”) is produced, your microphone may be pointed at a speaker. Try to orient it differently, or slightly reduce the [VOICE] setting.

(9) Use the [EFFECTS] knob to set the balance

between your original singing and the effects that are added to your voice.

Note: You can start song playback and sing to it. See “Playing back songs” (p. 15) and “Minus One” (p. 19) for details.

Owner’s Manual

Compressor, Gate, and effects

Your DisCover 5M provides a Compressor effect you might want to set up now. The Compressor reduces volume peaks and thus “levels out” differences in the microphone signal.

The Gate effect, on the other hand can be used to avoid that background noises cause the Vocal Harmonist, etc., to start working when you’re not singing.

These two effects are located immediately behind the MIC INPUT socket and thus applied to the microphone signal before it is processed by the Vocal Harmonist section.

(10) Press the [MIXER/EFFECTS] button.

The display changes to:

Parameter fields can also be selected by pressing them.

It is very important that you keep singing while setting the following parameters.

Sustain Level: Use this parameter to specify how fast the compressor stops working once the microphone level drops below the Compressor’s threshold. This should be set in such a way as to avoid unpleasant level jumps between notes. Set it in combination with the following parameter to obtain the best possible result.

Output Level: The Compressor reduces the dynamics (level differences) of your singing. This parameter serves two purposes: it allows you to specify how strongly your voice should be compressed, and –as you increase the value– it raises the compressor’s output volume to make up for the lower resulting level.

Note: The value “0” means that the Compressor is not working.

Threshold: This parameter allows you to set the level the microphone signal must have in order to be audible. Softer signals will be muted (suppressed) by the Gate.

(15) Press the [Vocal¥HARMONIST] field to jump to

a page where you can select different presets, etc. (see below).

(16) Press the [EXIT] button to return to the main

page.

(11) Press the [Vocal¥Effect] field.

Note: Since you pressed the [SINGER] button in step (6) above, the left-most column is called “SINGER” here. It may also be called “TALK”, “VOICE-FX”, or “AUTO PITCH”. Though that is of little importance for what we are about to do, it proves that your DisCover 5M is in fact a very clever instrument that helps you save time.

(12) If you need the Compressor, press the

[Compressor] field, so that its indicator icon is highlighted.

(13) If you also want to use the Gate, press the

[GATE] field (its indicator icon must be highlighted).

(14) Use the [PREV] and [NEXT] buttons to select

the parameter you wish to edit, and set the desired value with the [VALUE] dial.

Touring your DisCover 5M

Adding harmonies to your singing

Now that your microphone is up and running, let’s look at the Harmonist effect proper.

The DisCover 5M provides two harmony types: “Small” (1 or 2 additional voices) and “Ensemble” (3 or 4 additional voices).

(1) Connect your microphone, press the [SINGER]

button, set the desired [VOICE] level, and…

(2) …press the [SMALL] button (it must light).

(3) Sing a few notes and listen to the harmonies

produced.

(4) If the harmonies are too soft, turn the

[HARMONY] knob (right) towards the right (towards “MAX”).

(5) To try out different harmonizations, press

and hold the [SMALL] button.

The display changes to:

This also changes the available preset options in the center of the display. If, on the above page, you press [Mix] for example, the display changes to:

(7) Press one of the preset fields ([Walkin’Vox],

for example) to select a different harmony type.

(8) Now press the [ENSEMBLE] button and sing

again.

This sounds more like a choir, don’t you agree?

(9) Press and hold the [ENSEMBLE] button.

The display changes to:

(6) Press the [Male], [Female] or [Mix] field to

change the “GENDER” (voice type) of the harmonies produced.

[Mix] adds both a male and a female voice.

You already know what the [Male], [Female], and [Mix] fields are for. The 10 preset fields in the middle allow you to select different “voicings” and voice characters for your choir.

(10) To sing again without automatic harmonies,

press the [SMALL] or [ENSEMBLE] button again (so that neither of them lights).

Note: Obviously, you do not have to use a song as backing: you can also play the accompaniment yourself. See page 30 and below.

Owner’s Manual

Who specifies the harmonies?

Now that you know what the Vocal Harmonist does, let us briefly look at how it does that.

You may have noticed the [Harmony¥Assign] field in the lower left corner of the above display pages.

If you stop song playback and play chords on the external keyboard, the note information thus generated is used for the harmony pitches.

Use the [VALUE] dial to select another setting. The possibilities are:

MIDI IN Only notes played on the external key-

Its current (default) setting is “Auto”. This means that, during song playback, the note information contained in the song data will be used for specifying the pitches of the harmony notes (“Auto Harmony”).

Note: If the song you are playing back contains a “Harmony track”, the harmonies will be based on those notes. In all other cases, the harmonies are generated in realtime.

MIDI IN Left

MIDI IN Right

Song The note information contained in the

board will be used for specifying harmony pitches.

Only MIDI notes played to the left of the split point (page 31) will be used for specifying harmony pitches.

Only MIDI notes played to the right of the split point (page 31) will be used for specifying harmony pitches.

song you are playing back is used.

Not convinced so far?

Just in case you are a little bit disappointed by the Vocal Harmonist function, here are some tips (and a bonus):

●

Use it with song backing

The Harmonist sounds most convincing when used during song playback. It was fine-tuned to blend in with Standard MIDI File playback, and that’s when it sounds most “real”. Try it out, it works!

●

Check the following (Gender Voice Input)

(1) Press and hold the [SINGER] button.

The display changes to:

(4) Press the [Edit] field.

(2) Press the [Male] field if you’re a man, or the

[Female] field if you’re a woman.

This is an important clue for the Vocal Harmonist. After selecting the correct setting, you may find that the harmonies sound better.

And just in case, you wanted to sound like a somewhat worn-out opera singer…

(3) Press the [Vibrato] field (indicator icon must

“light”).

Sing a few notes and note the vibrato. If the effect is not strong enough…

(5) Use the [PREV] and [NEXT] buttons to select

the parameter you wish to edit, and set the desired value with the [VALUE] dial.

Parameter fields can also be selected by pressing them.

The [Vibrato] indicator icon must be blue for the effect to be noticeable.

Here’s what the parameters mean:

Rate: Sets the speed of the vibrato effect.

Depth: Allows you to set the vibrato intensity.

Vibrato is an effect that changes (“modulates”) the pitch. The higher the Depth value, the more outspoken these periodic pitch changes will be.

Rise Time: Allows you to set a swell for the vibrato effect. This parameter specifies how long it takes before the Depth value is reached – once the Delay Time is up.

Delay Time: Allows you to set a delay between the moment you start singing and the moment the vibrato effect kicks in.

(6) Press [EXIT] to leave this page (or

[Back¥to¥Singer] to try out the other “Gender”

settings).

Touring your DisCover 5M

Voice-FX

Ever wondered what your voice would sound like if you were a woman (for men), man (for women), robot or something else…? You’re about to find out:

(1) Press the

(2) Sing into the microphone and listen to your-

self. (You may have to switch off the or this function works.)

(3) Press and hold the

play now looks as follows:

[VOICE-FX]

[ENSEMBLE]

button.

[SMALL]

button if it lights to hear how

[VOICE-FX]

button. The dis-

(4) Press one of the twelve preset fields in the

center of the display to try out other possibilities.

(5) For added “strangeness” (or realism), you can

press the

(6) If you feel the general idea is OK, but would

like to fine-tune the effect, press the field at the bottom edge of the display.

See page 57 for the Edit and Equalizer parameters.

Note:

User Program.

Note:

nies to this effect.

(7) Press the

page.

[Vibrato]

To keep your settings, you must write them to a

You can add the

[EXIT]

field (left).

[Edit]

[SMALL]

[ENSEMBLE]

button to return to the main

harmo-

Auto Pitch Correct function

Here’s another interesting effect that can either be used as gimmick or to ensure that even the flattest of renditions suddenly sounds in tune. Of course, the voice will sound somewhat “artificial”, because the emphasis is on tuning here. However, even if you just speak the words of a song, it will be sung just the same.

(1) Press the

(2) Start song playback and say something into

the microphone (don’t sing).

Sounds like an interesting effect, doesn’t it?

(3) Press and hold the

The display changes to:

[AUTO¥PITCH]

button.

Let us begin with the most important parameter: the notes that will be used by the Auto Pitch function. That is what you specify via the Auto Pitch Assign fields.

(4) Set the

The “4” setting usually corresponds to the melody part, and is thus the most likely candidate, but feel free to select “1”~”3” or “5”~”16” to use another part as melody.

If you want to play the melody yourself, press the desired notes on the external keyboard, while you speak (or sing) into the microphone.

Note:

parameter to “Off”.

(5) If necessary, press

the MIDI IN desired note with the ”C6 84”).

This value specifies where the (or where the

The default MIDI channel for the Vocal Harmonist part is “4” (the same as for the Upper part). Be sure to set that number as Transmit (or TX) channel on your MIDI controller.

Track

value to select a song part.

[Left]

[Right]

field (or both) and play the

Selecting “Left” and/or “Right” will set the Track

[PREV]

[NEXT]

to select

Split Point

[Right]

parameter and set the

[VALUE]

section starts).

dial (“C3 48”~

[Left]

section ends

Owner’s Manual

[Portamento Time= 0] “Rough” pitch changes in semitone

steps (normal)

[Portamento Time= 1~127] Pitch glides from one

note to the next

By switching on only [Left] or [Right] and selecting the appropriate split point you can thus restrict the range of note numbers used for controlling the Vocal Harmonist.

Use the Octave parameter to shift the pitch of the Auto Pitch notes up to 2 octaves up or down.

(6) Press the [Vibrato] field to add some “wobble”

to the Auto Pitch sound.

This vibrato effect is not linked to the Voice-FX vibrato, and can thus be set separately (see below).

(7) For more refined control over the Auto Pitch

voice, press the [Edit] field:

(8) Use the [PREV] and [NEXT] buttons to select

the parameter you wish to edit, and set the desired value with the [VALUE] dial.

Parameter fields can also be selected by pressing them.

(9) Press the [Portamento] field to switch on this

effect.

“Portamento” means that the pitch doesn’t change in clearly defined steps: it produces glides from one note to the next.

Though they are not linked to their namesakes on the Voice-FX Edit page, most parameters on this page will look familiar. Therefore, please see above for the explanations of Gender and

Vibrato Rate, Depth, Rise Time, and Delay Time.

Vocoder

A Vocoder is an effect that combines spoken words with sounds, thus creating the impression that the instrument that produces the sounds can talk. As this relies on complex filtering effects, the character of the sound used as “carrier” can change dramatically.

(1) Press the [VOCODER] button (it must light).

This switches off the [SMALL] or [ENSEMBLE] button if it was on, because the Vocoder cannot be used simultaneously with the Harmonist function proper.

(2) Stop song playback if it is running.

The Vocoder can also use a song part, but for this demonstration, we’ll use the external keyboard, because doing so will make you understand how the Vocoder works.

Use the Portamento Time parameter to specify the speed at which those glides are carried out (0~127). The higher the value, the slower the transitions.

Note: To keep your settings, you must write them to a User Program.

(10) Press [EXIT] to leave this page (or

[Back¥to¥A-Pitch] to modify other Auto Pitch

settings).

(3) Connect the MIDI controller’s MIDI OUT

socket to the DisCover 5M’s MIDI IN socket.

MIDI IN

MIDI OUT

(4) Set the external keyboard’s MIDI transmit

(TX) channel to “4”.

(5) Play a chord on the external keyboard, hold

those notes, and talk into the microphone.

Touring your DisCover 5M

For obvious reasons, the Vocoder only works if you (a) talk or sing, and (b) if there is a “musical sound” that can be processed.

Play various chords and listen to how that affects the signal generated by the Vocoder.

Note: The Vocoder can produce four voices at once. Playing more than four notes simultaneously is thus unnecessary.

Note: The Vocoder can be used alongside [SINGER], [VOICE–FX] or [AUTO¥PITCH].

Again, there are several parameters for customizing the Vocoder’s behavior:

(6) Press and hold the [VOCODER] button.

The display changes to:

Gender: Allows you to change the timbre of the effect so as to create a masculine, feminine, or mixed character. The Gender choice determines which 8 preset settings are available. There are thus 24 Vocoder presets (8 for “Male”, 8 for “Female”, and 8 for “Mix”).

The 8 fields in the middle (e.g. [Opera], [My¥Voice], etc.) specify the voice character. These presets are based on the parameters you

can change on the Edit Part 1~4 page (which you don’t need if you are happy with one of the presets).

(7) Set the desired “Track” value with the [VALUE]

dial.

The Vocoder Assign section’s current (default) setting is “Auto”. This means that song files indicated as “With MIDI Harmony for Your Vocal Harmony Processor” (with harmony note information on track 5) automatically switch on the Vocoder. If you like, you can still add more chord information by playing on the external keyboard (use MIDI channel “4”). In Small or Ensemble mode, the pitch of your singing also influences the voicing of the harmony notes. This is not the case when you use the Vocoder.

If you stop song playback and then play a chord on the external keyboard, the note information thus generated is used.

Set the Track value to select a song part (“1”~ ”16”). As the melody is usually monophonic (1 note at a time), “4” may not be the best possible setting. Try to select a track with several notes.

If you want to play the melody yourself, press the [Left] or [Right] field (or both) and play the desired notes, while you speak (or sing) into the microphone. See page 24 for details about the MIDI IN Split Point parameter.

Note: See page 59 for the [Edit] parameters.

Note: To keep your settings, you must write them to a

User Program.

(8) Press [EXIT] or [Back¥to¥Vocoder] to leave this

page.

Talk

The Talk function is meant for announcements between songs: it switches off any other Vocal Harmonist effect (Voice-FX, Auto Pitch, Singer, Vocoder, Small/Ensemble) that may be on. Furthermore, it mutes the Vocal Harmonist’s effects processors (Reverb, Chorus, Delay, etc.) – or adds a pinch of Reverb and/or Delay if you like.

That way, your voice has its normal sound when you wish or need to address your audience. And here too, the professionalism of your DisCover 5M shows, because the Talk function can be set in such a way that the music (song) is turned softer, but not muted altogether.

(1) Press the [TALK] button and speak into the

microphone.

All Vocal Harmonist transformations are now muted. This includes the [VOCODER], [SMALL], and [ENSEMBLE] buttons.

(2) After your announcement, press the [TALK]

button again (to return to the previous “singer” settings) and sing to the next song.

Here’s what you need to do to change the level of the background music, and the amount of Reverb and/or Delay that is added to your speaking voice.

Note: See page 49 for an in-depth discussion of the effects settings.

(3) Press the [MIXER/EFFECTS] button.

Owner’s Manual

The display changes to:

(4) Press the [Vocal¥Effect] field.

Note: Press the [Vocal¥Harmonist] field to jump to a page where you can select different presets, etc. (see p. 22).

(5) Use the [PREV] and [NEXT] buttons to select

the Music Mute field and set the desired value with the [VALUE] dial.

The smaller the value, the softer the song’s and Realtime parts’ volume will be. Select “0” if you do not want the music to be any softer than it already is.

The Reverb Send and Delay Send fields allow you to add some Reverb and/or Delay to your voice. While some Reverb (values between “10” and “40”, for example) could be useful, Delay should probably only be used as a “effect”, because it tends to blur your announcements.

Automatic transposition (Singer Key)

Here’s yet another revolutionary function of your DisCover 5M: based on information you select or input, it can change the key of all songs you play back in realtime, thus allowing you (or a guest singer) to sing all songs in a comfortable range. This function is called “Singer Key”.

(1) For the sake of clarity, first select a song (see

p. 15) and press [®÷ª] to start playback.

Pay attention to the song’s key.

(2) Press [®÷ª] again to stop playback, and [|√] to

return to the beginning.

(3) Press the [SINGER¥KEY] button to switch on

this function.

The display changes to:

(4) Press the [MALE] or [FEMALE] field (depending

on whether you’re a man or a woman).

(5) Press the [®÷ª] button to start playback.

The song may now be playing in a different key. If it is not, the melody falls within the “typical” range you have just selected.

Note: This automatic transposition only works if track/ MIDI channel “4” of the songs you play back contains the melody part.

(6) Press [®÷ª] again to stop playback, and [|√] to

return to the beginning.

That may still have been too high or too low for comfort… So here comes the best part:

(7) Press one of the USER PRESET fields, and then

[Edit].

This page contains three presets: [ORIGINAL] means that the songs are not transposed, while [MALE] and [FEMALE] adapt the song’s key to the “typical” range of a male or female voice.

Touring your DisCover 5M

The display changes to:

Note: The [Edit] field only appears after pressing one of the USER PRESET fields. The latter are four memories where you can store your own range settings.

(8) Press the [Highest¥Note] field (if it is not

already selected).

(9) Sing the highest note you can muster effort-

lessly (you can sing it several times).

If you connected a microphone, a [CAPTURE] field appears. Press this field to confirm the note you want the DisCover 5M to recognize.

The DisCover 5M recognizes the pitch and displays the name of the corresponding note.

(If you have no microphone handy, you can also use the [VALUE] dial to set the desired note.)

(10) Press the [Lowest¥Note] field and repeat step

(9), taking care to sing your lowest possible note.

(11) Press [Customize] to store these settings if you

wish to use them at a later stage.

The display briefly confirms that your settings have been stored:

(12) Press the [Back¥to¥SingerK] field to return to

the page of the same name.

(13) Press the [Rename] field to assign a name to

your settings.

Entering names

(14) Use the [ø] and [˚] fields to select the position

for which you wish to enter a new character.

(15) Use the alphanumeric keypad in the right

corner to enter the desired characters.

This keypad works exactly like the keypad of a cellphone: you may have to press an alphanumeric field several times to select the desired character or number.

• The [A/a] field allows you to switch between

uppercase and lowercase characters.

• The [Delete] field allows you to delete the

inverted character.

• Press [Space] to insert a blank (or the number

“0”).

• If you forgot to insert a character, use [ø] or [˚]

to select the position where the missing character should be inserted. Then press [Insert], followed by the character you wish to insert.

(16) If you’re happy with the name for your

Singer Key settings, press [EXECUTE].

The display briefly confirms that your name has been stored:

(17) Press the [®÷ª] button to start playback.

The song may now be playing in a different key. If it is not, the melody falls within the range you set.

Note: At first, the Singer Key function only works with the songs on the supplied SmartMedia card. Other songs you copied to the SmartMedia card need to be selected, played back for a few measures, and then saved to card again (even without any changes). Only then will the Highest and Lowest notes be recognized the way they should. See page 103 for how to save songs.

Displaying Lyrics and chord information

Your DisCover 5M also allows you to view the lyrics of the songs (if available) in the display.

Owner’s Manual

The Lyrics function was provided to allow you to read the words of the songs being played back in a karaoke fashion: the words to sing are highlighted at the right time. Note that this function is only available for Standard MIDI Files that contain Lyrics data. Ask your dealer for details.

Apart from the Lyrics, the DisCover 5M also displays the chords, which may come in handy for a guitarist or bassist with whom you are playing.

The chord information is usually not contained in a song as such, but that’s no problem: the DisCover 5M can “calculate” it in realtime and even display it a little ahead of the “changes”.

(1) Select a song (page 15). (2) Press the [LYRICS&CHORD] button.

(3) Start song playback.

The display changes to:

Using an external monitor

Your DisCover 5M also provides a VIDEO OUTPUT socket you can connect to the video input of a TV screen or monitor.

That monitor (or screen) always displays the Lyrics (if available) and chords, even if you –or the DisCover 5M– select(s) other display pages.

(1) Connect the VIDEO OUTPUT socket to the

video input of the TV set or monitor.

(2) Switch on your TV set or monitor and start

playback of a song with Lyrics.

If the lyrics and chords do not appear correctly on the external screen, proceed as follows:

(3) Press the [MENU] button.

The chord information appears at the bottom of the screen.

Note: The chord information is calculated in real-time and may not always be accurate. Also, with chords where the third has been omitted, no information will be displayed (because it is impossible to tell whether those are minor or major chords). Note: You can also add Lyrics data to songs that do not yet contain them. See page 91 for details.

The display changes to:

(4) Press the [VIDEO¥LYRICS] field.

Touring your DisCover 5M

(5) Press the [PAL] or [NTSC] field to select the

desired setting (or the one that works).

Note: If you work with a TV set, do not forget to select the correct channel (“AV”, or something to that effect, see the manual that came with your set).

(6) Press the [EXIT] button to return to the main

page.

Using the Realtime parts

Your DisCover 5M provides three “parts” that allow you to play different sounds from an external keyboard. These are called “Realtime parts”. They are available during song playback and while playback is stopped.

Playing with the Upper and/or Lower part

The three Realtime parts need to be controlled via MIDI. They behave exactly like the parts (or channels) of a multitimbral sound module. This means that the DisCover 5M is in fact three units in one:

• a Vocal Harmonist

• a powerful Standard MIDI File player

• a multitimbral sound module

To take advantage of the DisCover 5M’s Realtime parts, you need to ensure that your MIDI controller (keyboard, MIDI accordion, sequencer, etc.) transmits on the correct MIDI channel.

The default MIDI channel assignments are as follows:

Upper part MIDI channel 4

Lower part MIDI channel 11

M.Drums part MIDI channel 16

Vocal Harmonist* MIDI channel 4

(*) The Vocal Harmonist’s reception range can be restricted. You’ll find an example of this on page 24. You can change these MIDI channel assignments. See “Channel” (p. 96).

Note that the Vocal Harmonist part does not sound directly: the note messages received by this “part” are used for harmony voicings and controlling the Auto Pitch, Vocoder and other related vocal effects. These are discussed on the previous pages. Don’t forget to sing while “feeding” the Vocal Harmonist with MIDI notes.

(1) Connect the MIDI controller’s MIDI OUT

socket to the DisCover 5M’s MIDI IN socket.

MIDI IN

Working with a keyboard like the Roland A-37, A-33 or RD-170 has the following advantages:

• you can transmit on two MIDI channels simultaneously, either in the same range (“Layer”) or via separate zones (“Split”).

• these instruments have memories that allow you to quickly change the MIDI channels (and many other MIDI parameters) by simply selecting another memory.

Note: By using an optional MIDI merger (or MIDI patcher with Merge function) you could control the Realtime parts as follows: Upper and Lower from a MIDI keyboard or accordion, while a drummer with MIDI-compatible pads can control the M.Drums part. If you work with a sequencer, all three Realtime parts can be controlled simultaneously.

(2) Set the MIDI controller’s transmit (TX) chan-

nel to “4” (Upper part), “11” (Lower part) and/ or “16” (M.Drums part).

(3) Play a few notes on the external MIDI con-

troller.

Depending on the MIDI channel the controller transmits on, you now hear the Upper, Lower and/or M.Drums part.

You could also press the [MULTI-FX] button to add an appropriate effect to the Upper part. See page 47 for details.

Note: The Multi-FX is only available for the Upper part.

(4) Use the [MASTER] knob to set the

DisCover 5M’s output volume.

(5) If you are playing to a song, use the [SONG]

knob to set the song volume.

MIDI OUT

Turn it towards “MAX” if your playing is too loud with respect to the other parts.

Note: See page 44 for how to set the balance between the Realtime parts.

+ 90 hidden pages

Roland DISCOVER 5M Service Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual